An integral part of many sports which utilize a ball is the accurate and consistent placement of the ball either by pitching, hitting or kicking. The baseball pitcher, for example, must pitch a baseball into the area known as the strike zone, which has a width defined by home plate and a height defined by the distance between the batter's armpits and knees. The height of this area will vary considerably from batter to batter, and the pitcher must be able to adjust his pitch accordingly. Regular practice is necessary in order to be proficient at such an exercise. For the baseball pitcher, this practice should include pitching to different size strike zones. Similarly, for other sports where accuracy and consistency is important, the trainee must practice his throw, hit or kick for placement of a ball in various positions.
The simplest system used by the pitcher, who may wish to practice without the help of an additional person to catch the ball, is to paint a target on a wall. The trainee could then throw the ball at the target, and can visually determine whether the ball was thrown in the desired area. It should be apparent, however, that the painted target could not be adjusted for differing target areas. Moreover, since the target was painted on a wall, the user was confined to practice at that location as opposed to, for example, being able to practice at other sports facilities.
Another somewhat common practice device is known as a pitch-back, which consists of a square frame covered with a taut material. A ball thrown at the pitch-back would rebound toward the trainee, who could then catch the ball and throw it again. Often, a target would be painted on the resilient material, so as to show the accuracy of the pitched ball. This device proved to be an improvement over other systems primarily in that it was portable. However, the pitch-back was still not adjustable for varying target areas. Further, while the pitch-back was useful for the trainee who was throwing with only one practice ball, the trainee with many practice balls does not need the rebounding capabilities. In fact, many trainees do not want the bother of having to chase down and retrieve the rebounding ball; instead desiring to concentrate on the pitch, not the catch. Moreover, unless one was bothering to count, which itself can be a training distraction, there was no way to keep track of exactly how many times a ball was placed within the target area.
To date, there exists no device useful to a sports trainee which allows practice in pitching, hitting or kicking a ball, which has an adjustable target area, is easily transportable, and which is capable of providing an indication of the number of times a ball is placed within the desired target area.